Vegas is back — and it's on a winning streak

Mixologist Christopher Hopkins assembles a round of kicked-up strawberry margaritas at Bond Bar at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

With its 160 stores, over-the-top decor and abundance of high-end labels, there’s good reason why The Forum Shops at Caesars has been called ‘the shopping wonder of the world.’

Al Powers, PowersImagery.comAl Powers

The Shops at Crystals in Las Vegas, which features high-end brands and sophisticated modern design.The Shops at Crystals is a magnificent building, with soaring points and reflective surfaces designed by legendary architect Daniel Libeskind.

Bottle service ready for the party at Ghostbar Dayclub (GBDC) in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Brunch at Wicked Spoon buffet in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas redefines the all-you-can-eat tradition with gourmet food and sophisticated décor.
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UNDATED -- Brunch at Wicked Spoon buffet in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas redefines the all-you-can-eat tradition with gourmet food and sophisticated décor.
PHOTO: Joanne Sasvari for The Vancouver Sun. For Vancouver Sun Travel-Las Vegas story by Joanne Sasvari.

The faux ‘Eiffel Tower’ at Paris Paris is one of the landmarks of the Las Vegas Strip.

Brunch at Wicked Spoon buffet in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas redefines the all-you-can-eat tradition with gourmet food and sophisticated décor.

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The four women in matching blond wigs, pink bustiers and shiny short shorts have just fired off the confetti cannons at the Ghostbar Dayclub. The DJ cranks up the tunes and a group of friends dressed as 1980s sitcom characters hits the dance floor with a whoop. Out on the deck, a couple of guys impersonating superheroes shoot pix of themselves with the view of the Las Vegas Strip from the 55th floor of The Palms Casino Resort. And you really don’t want to know what the trio in the corner is doing with that beer funnel.

It’s just another afternoon in Sin City.

It’s nothing like the last time I was here, though. That was in 2009, not long after Las Vegas had been named the foreclosure capital of North America. The Strip was dotted with gaping holes where construction projects had been abandoned when the money ran out. Downtown was tacky or terrifying, and sometimes both at the same time. And the food and drink were trapped in the 1990s, and not in a good way.

Now the money is back. And so is the fun.

The city is awash with luxury brands, high-end hotels and swish restaurants. Those abandoned construction projects are now shiny new properties. Downtown is alive with a cool, artsy spirit. The food and drink scene is deliciously vibrant and modern.

Las Vegas, it seems, is once again as great a place to party as it has ever been — and maybe even better. If you’re planning to head to Glitter Gulch for your New Year’s bash, a bachelor sendoff or any other reason, here are some of the cool new things you’ll want to check out.

The drink

We’re sitting under the ruffled ceiling of Vesper Bar in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where the property mixologist, Christopher Hopkins, is using his housemate spice-and-pear-infused vodka to craft a cocktail based on a sherry cobbler.

It’s not what I’ve come to expect in Las Vegas, where drinking has traditionally been all about volume, not craftsmanship. Think bottle service, eight-ounce martinis and endless highballs to keep gamblers at the slots.

But now the city is attracting serious craft bartenders and mixologists, who are serving up artisanal spirits, funky infusions, housemate bitters and molecular drinks at glitzy lounges along The Strip and in cosy holes-in-the-wall in the revitalized downtown. Rumour has it that even PDT, the trendsetting New York speakeasy, is looking to open a joint here.

“The mixology community here is evolving really rapidly,” says Hopkins, who also oversees the property’s sparkly Chandelier Bar and lively Bond Bar, all part of the largest fresh-scale cocktail program in the world. “It’s a really exciting time to be in the industry.”

I’ll drink to that.

The dining

I can’t quite believe this is a Las Vegas buffet. The room is elegant, the food is beautiful, the diners are civilized and so are the portions. Mind you, the fried chicken and wedge salad are so good, I can’t resist going back for seconds.

I’m brunching at the Wicked Spoon in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, but it’s only one of several sophisticated new buffets in the city.

The most glorious of them is the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, which swept the local dining awards in 2013, thanks to the nine Michelin-starred chefs behind the 500-plus dishes. It’s no $9.99-all-you-can-eat pig out, but for the quality of the food, the price ($34 per person for brunch at Wicked Spoon; $40.99 per person for brunch at Bacchanal) is a bargain.

And it’s not just buffet dining that’s been kicked up a notch here. Las Vegas may not have joined the locavore movement — surrounded as it is by desert, it likely never will — but more and more restaurants are serving exceptional artisanal ingredients, and the quality is at times astonishing.

That’s true whether it’s the contemporary American cuisine at Sage in ARIA or the fresh-as-can-be sushi in the MOzen Bistro at the Mandarin Oriental or the flavourful Mediterranean-inspired and wine-paired dishes at La Cave in the Wynn Las Vegas.

It helps that every major chef in North America and, increasingly, the world is either already cooking here or plans to be soon. Las Vegas is now home to more Michelin-starred chefs than anywhere on earth, and few experiences can beat Joel Robuchon’s extraordinary, three-starred French fare at the MGM Grand.

The shopping

Across the Strip from the new Shops at Crystals at CityCenter, a small crowd has formed. “What is that thing?” demands one gent in Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals, worn, of course, with white tube socks. “It’s weird,” pipes up his permed and frosted wife. The crowd murmurs its agreement.

Well, it must be admitted that this magnificent building, all soaring points and reflective surfaces designed by the legendary architect Daniel Libeskind, is a far cry from the roller-coasters, pirate ships, dancing fountains and fake Eiffel Towers you’re more likely to find along the Strip. And that’s a good thing.

It’s a sign of the direction that Vegas is heading — away from the cheesy pastiche of the past and towards a more elegant, sophisticated future. More importantly, at least in my view, it houses some of the highest of the city’s high-end shopping, including North America’s flagship Louis Vuitton store.

I confess: If there were no other reason to visit Las Vegas, the shopping alone would bring me back. I love the bargains at the outlet malls and discount stores almost as much as I love the opulence of the designer labels at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, a.k.a. “The Shopping Wonder of the World.”

Oh, yeah: You may want to clear lots of room on your credit cards before you visit, or hope you win at the craps table.

The action

I’m in David Bauman Rare Books in the Palazzo, sipping an exceptional white Burgundy that has been “paired” with a first edition of Ian Fleming’s From Russia with Love. Apparently, more and more big winners like to come here after they hit the jackpot to pick up a first edition of their favourite childhood book or a signed copy of Bill Clinton’s autobiography.

Is that a sign that Vegas is growing up? Maybe just a little.

If you head downtown, you’ll see that change really is in the air. Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Nevada-based online retail giant Zappos, is leading the charge to revitalize the city core. Already it’s home to funky little ethnic eateries, cocktail bars and artists’ studios. Historic off-Strip casino hotels like the Golden Nugget are bustling. And more and more people are moving into the once-empty apartment buildings.

Things are changing on the Strip, too, big time. This spring will see the first phase of the Linq, a $550-million outdoor entertainment district funded by Caesars Entertainment. It will feature nearly 40 new shops and restaurants as well as Brooklyn Bowl, a bowling-live-music-nightclub venue. Oh, and don’t forget the High Roller, an observation wheel that’s bigger than the London Eye or the Singapore Flyer, and set to open in spring 2014. It’s the kind of project that will appeal to hipsters, families, funsters and sophisticates alike.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas is still our favourite place to party. And judging by the action at Ghostbar, we’re not alone. The confetti is now ankle deep, the vodka is flowing and the afternoon crowd seems to be wearing a lot less clothing. And things are just getting started.

If You Go

Getting there: WestJet and Air Canada both offer direct flights daily from Vancouver to Las Vegas.

Staying there: Whether you prefer a big, action-packed casino resort like the MGM Grand or an intimate boutique hotel, Las Vegas has the right place for you (and your budget).

The newest trend is toward smaller boutique properties, many of them within bigger casino resorts, like the NOBU Hotel at Caesars Palace, or hotels that have no casino at all, like the Mandarin Oriental. ARIA, The Cosmopolitan and The Palazzo are also among the newer, more elegant properties.

For a look at the many options available, and for more information, visit www.vegas.com

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